Oil and gas producers continue to back Republican candidates in outsized fashion, but political contributions from the industry in the 2020 election cycle are running notably below 2016, a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic’s adverse financial impacts.

The oil and gas sector spent an estimated $87 million between Jan. 1, 2019, and Sept. 21 — the current election cycle — well below the $104 million donated in the prior cycle and only weeks remain before the Nov. 3 election. That is according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a nonpartisan organization that tracks political donations based on data released from the Federal Election Commission.

Among more than 80 sectors the CRP follows, oil and gas ranks 12th in political donations in the current cycle so far,...